Small Pets
Exotic Pets
Exotic Pet Names
By
Shirlie Sharpe
Shirlie Sharpe
Shirlie Sharpe is an aquatic expert and writer with over three decades of experience keeping and raising ornamental fish. She has consulted with The Minnesota Zoo and the National Aquarium. Shirlie has also authored a book on setting up aquariums.
Learn more about The Spruce Pets'Editorial Process
Updated on 07/02/22
Reviewed by
Nick Saint-Erne
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Reviewed byNick Saint-Erne
Dr. Nick Saint-Erne, DVM, is a highly accomplished veterinarian and writer who has treated zoo animals and exotic pets for more than 35 years. He has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve pet store animal care among other endeavors. Dr. Saint-Erne is part of The Spruce Pets' veterinary review board.
Learn more about The Spruce Pets'Veterinary Review Board
Fact checked byJessica Wrubel
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A complete alphabetical listing of all the fish species in the world would have at least 30,000 items, and those are just the official saltwater and tropical fish names. Many fish—especially popular varieties for aquariums—also have any number of nicknames. For example, the Corydoras metae, or bandit cory, is also known as abandit catfish, masked cory, Meta River catfish, and Rio Meta cory. The following (partial) list of aquarium fish names includes manyof the most popular ones, from A to Z.
A
- Adolfo's cory
- Adonis tetra
- African peaco*ck cichlid
- Angelfish
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- Archerfish
- Atlantic mudskipper
- Auratus cichlid
- Australian rainbowfish
- Azureus cichlid
B
- Bandit cory
- Barb - gold
- Barb - rosy
- Barb - tiger
- Betta - female
- Betta - male
- Black-banded leporinus
- Black neon tetra
- Black phantom tetra
- Black skirt tetra
- Black widow tetra
- Blind cavefish
- Blood parrot cichlid
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- Blue gourami - albino morph
- Blue gourami - cosby hybrid
- Blue gourami - traditional color
- Boeseman's rainbowfish
- Bronze cory
C
- Cardinal tetra
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- Catfish - upside down
- Cavefish - blind
- Cichlid - five-bar
- Cichlid - purple
- Cichlid - Six-bar
- Clown loach
- Cory - Bandit
- Cory - Bronze
D
- Danio - pearl
- Danio - zebra
- Debauwi catfish
- Deepwater haplochromis
- Denison's flying fox
- Dojo loach
- Dovii loach
- Dragonfish
- Dusky piranha
- Dwarf croaking gourami
- Dwarf gourami
- Dwarf pencilfish
- Dwarf snakehead
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E
- Eartheater
- Eastern mudminnow
- Edible gourami
- Eduard's mbuna
- Ell loach
- Egyptian mouthbrooder
- Eight-barb loach
- Electric blue hap
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- Electric catfish
- Electric yellow haplochromis
- Elegant rasbora
- Elephant-nose
- Emperor tetra
F
- Fairy cichlid
- False bumblebee catfish
- Fathead bichir
- Fighting fish
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- Figure eight puffer
- Five-bar cichlid
- Five-stripe lamprologus
G
- Gold barb
- Gourami - blue
- Gourami - dwarf
- Gourami - gold
- Gourami - kissing
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- Gourami - leeri
- Gourami - marbeled
- Gourami - moonlight
- Gourami - opaline
- Gourami - pearl
- Gourami - three spot
H
- Haitian cichlid
- Half-lined pyrrhulina
- Hampala barb
- Harlequin rasbora
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- Harlequin shark
- Harrison's pencilfish
- Hatchetfish
- Heterotis bonytongue
- Hi-fin banded shark
J
- Jack Dempsey cichlid
- Jae barb
- Jaguar catfish
- Jelly bean tetra
- Jewel cichlid
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- Johanni mbuna cichlid
- Jordan's catfish
- Jumping characin
K
- Kafirnigani gray loach
- Katangae Nile bichir
- Keyhole cichlid
- Kissing gourami
- Kribensis cichlid
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L
- Labidochromis sp "Yellow" cichlid
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- Lamprologus - five-stripe
- Lamprologus - six-stripe
- Leeri pearl gourami
- Leporinus - black-banded
- Loach - clown
- Loach - dojo
- Loach - weather
M
- Marbled gourami
- Marigold lyretail swordtail
- Marigold wag swordtail
- Melanotaenia splendida tatei
- Moonlight gourami
N
- Nandus
- Needle fin eater
- Needlefish
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- Neon tetra - black
- Nigerian red krib
- Nile puffer
- Nyerere's Victoria cichlid
O
- Obese syndontis
- Obliquidens hap
- Obscure snakehead
- Ocellated freshwater stingray
- Ocellated shell-dweller
- Ocellated synodontis
- Opaline gourami
- Oxeye herring
- Ozola barb
P
- Palembang puffer
- Papuan rainbowfish
- Parrot - blood
- Pearl danio
- Pearl gourami
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- Platy - red wagtail
- Puffer - figure eight
- Purple cichlid
R
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- Rainbowfish - Papuan
- Rasbora - red
- Red eye tetra
- Red rasbora
- Red wagtail platy
- Rosy barb
S
- Schwanefeld's barb
- Siamese fighting fish
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- Silver dollar - Metynnis argenteus
- Six-bar cichlid
- Six-stripe lamprologus cichlid
- Swordtail - marigold lyertail
- Swordtail - marigold wag
T
- Tetra - black neon
- Tetra - black phantom
- Tetra - black skirt
- Tetra - black widow
- Tetra - cardinal
- Tetra - emperor
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- Tetra - red eye
- Tetra - white skirt
- Three spot gourami
- Tiger barb
U
- Uaru cichlid
- Unicorn fish
- Upside down catfish
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V
- Vampire pleco
- Variegated platy
- Variegated shark
- Venustus
- Violet goby
W
- Wallago catfish
- Warmouth
- Weather fish
- Weather loach
- West African bichir
- West Australian pygmy perch
- White skirt tetra
- Whiptailed banjo catfish
Y
- Yellow banded moenkhausia
- Yellow Julie cichlid
- Yellow king piranha
- Yellow kribensis
- Yellow lab
- Yellow regal peaco*ck cichlid
- Yellow-finned xenotilapia
- Yellow-tailed conga tetra
- Yo-yo loach
Z
- Zebra danio
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FAQ
What is the best fish for a beginner?
If you are new to freshwater aquariums, there are plenty of choices that will make it easy to begin. Besides the common goldfish, consider these pretty fish with equally colorful personalities to get started:
- Angelfish
- Barbs
- Betta
- Neon tetra
- Platies
- Rasboras
- Zebra danio
Which fish is most playful?
Pufferfish are the most fun-loving fish to watch thanks to their inflating antics and facial expressions. They are also eager to meet new arrivals, and seem to want to play with you by darting around the tank.
What is the best fish for a small tank?
If you have a small or miniature tank, you will need small fish. You won't be disappointed with the choices you have, which include the following tiny fish with big personalities:
- Betta
- Black phantom tetra
- Conga tetra
- Dwarf gourami
- Gold barb
- Hatchetfish
- Neon tetra
- Platies
- Rasbora
- Swordtail
- Tiger barb
- White cloud mountain minnow
- Zebra danios
